UH Vice President for Student Affairs to Retire

Doris Ching advocated for students, mentored women, brought national recognition to UH

HONOLULU — Doris Ching, Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Hawaiʻi, will retire at the end of the year after more than 36 years of nurturing and advocating for thousands of students. During her distinguished tenure at the university, Ching upgraded and expanded services for students, promoted rights of women and underrepresented groups, and supported hundreds of student leaders who now hold influential positions in the community. As the first woman vice president of UH, Ching has been a role model to many individuals.

Ching‘s appointments to prestigious national boards and commissions, including Golden Key International Honour Society and the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), brought national visibility to UH Student Affairs. As the first Asian American and the first person in Hawaiʻi to be elected to the highest office of president of both the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the NASPA Foundation, she has been an inspiration to young Asian Americans in Hawaiʻi and across the nation. She administers the Hawaiʻi Commission on National and Community Service and has served on numerous education and civic boards and commissions including Aloha United Way, Cities in Schools, and Hawaiʻi Veterans Memorial Scholarship Program.

Ching‘s many initiatives at UH include campus child care, the Women‘s Center, Service Learning Center, new student orientation program, Systemwide Student Caucus and the Regents and Presidential Scholars program, Bridge-to-Hope and other programs. She successfully led the effort that resulted in the UH athletics department‘s NCAA full certifications in 1996 and 2003. She was instrumental in the building of the Queen Liliʻuʻokalani Center for Student Services which brought the many services for students in one prominent and attractive location on campus. "Doris Ching is an outstanding example of a person committed to excellence who does not seek recognition or praise for her efforts. In every position Doris has held, she has increased the quality of education, improved campus life, emphasized the importance of diversity, and served the needs of all students. She will be sorely missed." said Interim President David McClain.

Ching joined the university in 1969 as coordinator of student teaching, after serving as a classroom teacher with the state Department of Education. In 1976, she became director of Teacher Corps, and in 1981 was appointed Associate Dean of the College of Education. After serving as Assistant to the President in 1986-87, she was appointed to her current position of Vice President for Student Affairs.

"It has been gratifying to be a part of the University of Hawaiʻi in its rise to national and international prominence," Ching said. "We are fortunate to be surrounded by a community that takes special interest in our students and programs, and gives much support to help us serve the state, nation and Asia/Pacific region. My greatest pleasure and privilege has been working for and with students and those who serve students."

Among the numerous national and local awards received by Ching are the Alpha Gamma Delta International Fraternity Distinguished Citizens Award, Fred Turner Award for Outstanding Contribution to NASPA, University of Hawaiʻi Alumni Association Alumna Award, Women in Communications Headliner Award, and YWCA Leader Luncheon Award for Outstanding Women in the Community.

She received her undergraduate and master‘s degrees in education from the University of Hawaiʻi and the doctorate degree from Arizona State University.